So my new book Jesus Never Said to Plant Churches doesn’t come out to bookstores and amazon until September 1st, but I am told that you can pick up copies coming up in May of 2012.

I’ll keep you updated here about how you can purchase your copy.

Elevation Church,

There is no way to effectively put into words the feelings Ami and I have when we look back at the life of Elevation Church.  It was birthed from God while we were still in college and we saw it take form in July of 2004 as a house church with three families.  It now has completely engulfed not only our lives, but the lives of so many of you.

The pages of scripture came alive as we lived, learned, and served together.  Looking back at the last 8 years is overwhelming, humbling, and cherished.

It has been a tremendous joy and honor for Ami and I to serve and lead Elevation Church as the Lead Pastors.  When we look around we see nothing but friends and family.  We say all the time that we are the luckiest people in the world and have the best church family ever.  Elevation is one of a kind. God’s favor and hand has been on Elevation from the very beginning and He has special plans for this wonderful Jesus community.

We realize that times of transition exist in all of our lives.  Last year God began to speak to Ami and I about what He was asking of us next in life.  We didn’t react fast, but just listened to all that God’s spirit was saying to us.  We met with the Elders, who at the time were just Jim Ladd and Doyle Robinson, they both prayed with us and spoke into our lives; confirming to us what God had been telling us about His leading in what we would be doing next.

At an Elders retreat, all of our Elders of Elevation were brought into what God had been speaking to Ami and I about.  We shared with them that we feel as strongly about God’s call in this next chapter of our lives as we did about starting Elevation Church.

I feel like God is asking me to step away from all that I have been involved with for the last 8 years; (traveling my guts off, consulting, training, conference speaking) and to go finish my doctorate. This has been a desire of mine since I was a little kid – to one day have the credentials to teach at a University.  The desires I have always had for my life are now a possibility.

We did not seek to leave Elevation, did not feel pressure to leave, and nothing external has led to this decision to leave.

The Elders of Elevation began a process of finding the new pastor of Elevation after they spent time seeking God’s direction for a new lead pastor.  I pledged to them that I would be here to guide the new lead pastor in the first two months of his journey with our Jesus community.

It is hard to marry your daughter off – but it must be done and I am certain that the next lead pastor will take Elevation to the next level and exactly where God wants this Jesus community to be.

Even though we are not going to be leaders here anymore, we are still part of this community, will ALWAYS consider ourselves to be part of this community, and will always stand with this community.  We love Elevation Church – we love you all.

We pray God’s richest blessings on Elevation Church.  We humbly ask for your prayers as we make this next step in our life.  We need you to stand with us and we will stand with you.

Living for God in everything we do,

Trinity & Ami Jordan

I have been talking about a great opportunity we have to read to those that do not have the ability to see.  The Center for the Blind is in need of volunteer readers.  It is awesome and easy to be part of this great ministry.  You just need a mic and a computer that can record you speaking.  To volunteer download this application and fill it out.

APPLICATION

I remember attending a John Maxwell event where he spoke on leadership (surprised right?)

I don’t remember much of the event from almost 10 years ago other than him saying tongue in cheek that if you called yourself a leader and no one was following you, then you were not a leader.

His humorous antidote was a lesson for all of us.  It was the most profound thing I heard that day in the sense that it stayed with me all this time versus everything else I heard.

But it is true.

Leaders are not leaders if they are not leading anyone.

I would even venture to say that you are not a leader when only ONE person or TWO people are following you.  I think that is called friendship or discipleship.

Leaders are leading people.

I am always shocked to hear so called leaders talk about how they can’t get people to do this or that, how they can’t recruit them to follow in what they are doing, or they are so frustrated with those they are so called leading not following.

Lead them!

If you want them to follow, lead them.

If you want them to be part of the team, lead them.

If you want them to do something different, lead them.

If you want them to act a certain way, lead them.

I consider myself to be a high capacity leader and I want to be lead by others.  Everyone wants to have trustworthy, respectful, visionary, confident leadership in their life.  Give it to them.

Stop talking about those not following and lead.  Figure out the motivators and solutions to get those you want to lead to follow.  Inspire them to move.  Educate them to take the path you are walking.

You can get frustrated all day long that others are not doing what you want them to do —- OR

you can lead them.

Oh, I do remember something else Mr. Maxwell said that day or maybe I read it in one of his 40 books on leadership.  Everything rises and falls on leadership.

Yes sir, yes it does.

Loved this video that I watched from the willowcreek leadership summit.

For the month of December the discipleship book, Learning to Follow Jesus, is buy ONE get ONE free.  What a great gift to disciple someone this holiday season.

Click below to buy a book via Paypal NOW!

Here is a video from a church conference, making fun of Worship Leader Chris Tomlin’s haircut. I love that Chris is in the video helping them make fun of the cut himself. Enjoy…

Here is the video from this weekend at Elevation as we started the Galtians sermon series.  Enjoy.

Galatians Teaching from Elevation Church on Vimeo.